Rebel Hoops Goes Global

Ole Miss added some international flare to its basketball program today with the signing of Nigerian standout Maurice Aniefiok. The native of the populous West African country will arrive in Oxford by way of Huntington Prep in West Virginia, where he helped the Express to a top-20 national ranking last year.

Check out the links below highlighting the Rebels' new addition, who happens to be a superb athlete and a highly coveted ball player at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.

ESPN.com: Maurice Aniefiok picks Ole Miss
OleMissSports.com: Ole Miss Basketball Adds Nigerian Standout

Long Road To The Top For Britton

Former NCAA Singles Champion Devin Britton is in Vero Beach, Fla., this week competing in the Boulevard Warren Insurance Tennis Classic. Ray McNulty of the TCPalm caught up with the Mississippi native for a story. Click here to read the story.

Local Club Meetings Begin

May is almost here which means the Ole Miss coaches and staff will soon be coming to your town as part of the summer lineup of local club meetings. One of the largest events is the Central Mississippi Ole Miss Alumni Club's "Rebel Reunion," which is set for July 26 at the Jackson Convention Center. Coach Houston Nutt is already on the docket, and I'm sure several other big name Rebels will join him for the party. Make your plans now.

Check the Alumni Association site for club meetings in your area, including the Central Arkansas Club meeting Tuesday in Little Rock. Nutt is returning to his hometown for the event.

Sherrod Announcing Colts' Draft Pick

Before there was Patrick Willis, Jeff Herrod was the Rebel middle linebacker piling up tackle after tackle. A letterman from 1984-87, Herrod is Ole Miss' all-time leader in tackles with 528, which ranks third in SEC history. He is also the Rebels' single-season leader in stops (168) and was the first player to top the team in tackles in three seasons.

Herrod continued that success at the next level. A ninth-round pick of Indianapolis in 1988, Jeff spent nine seasons with the Colts and remains the franchise leader in single-game, season and career tackles. Some consider him the best middle linebacker in Indy's history.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Herrod will represent the Colts at the NFL Draft as one of 32 retired players announcing their former club's second (or third) round pick. Like last year, the draft will be split up first round on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT, second and third on Friday at 5 p.m. and the remaining four rounds Saturday at noon.

Keep up with Jeff on his website: www.jeffherrod.com.

Anniversary Of Deuce's Drafting

Thursday marked the 10-year anniversary of the New Orleans Saints' drafting of Deuce McAllister. A total of 20 former Rebels have played for the Saints -- more than any other NFL team -- and two of those, McAllister and Archie Manning, are among the most popular to ever wear the Black and Gold. Deuce spent all nine of his pro seasons in NOLA, made it to three Pro Bowls and remains the Saints' all-time leader in rushing yards and TDs. The Times-Picayune's Mike Triplett did a great article looking back at McAllister's successful career in the Big Easy, while the Saints' official site reported on his continued impact in the Gulf.

Timmy B To Speak On Campus

Long-time sports announcer Tim Brando will discuss his career covering college athletics for ESPN and CBS at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics at Ole Miss on Friday, April 29. The event will begin at 11 a.m. and is free and open to the public.

A native of Shreveport, La., Brando began to gain recognition in the 1980s for his work telecasting LSU basketball games. He broadened his reputation in 1986 after he became host for ESPN’s widely-watched SportsCenter program, then solidified his standing as one of the country’s top sportscasters by providing play-by-play for Atlantic Coast Conference basketball and CBS commentary for Southeastern Conference football.

“Tim Brando is one of the most successful sports announcers in the nation,” said Nancy M. Dupont, an associate professor at the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at Ole Miss. “Our students will recognize him because of his announcing and hosting college football and basketball telecasts.” Dupont will introduce Brando.

In addition to his television appearances involving collegiate sports, Brando has called professional basketball and Atlanta Braves baseball. He has also hosted “The Tim Brando Show” on Sporting News Radio.

Brando and his wife, Terri, live in Shreveport, and one of his daughters, Tara, is a student at Ole Miss, where she is majoring in broadcast journalism.

Ole Miss Today

Olivia Manning Receives Legacy Award

Congratulations to Olivia Manning, who received the Legacy Award from the Ole Miss Women's Council for Philanthropy on Saturday. The Legacy Award, which recognizes the contributions of a person who epitomizes one or more of the Women’s Council’s goals of philanthropy, leadership and mentorship, was established last year in celebration of the council’s 10th anniversary and honored Leigh Anne Tuohy with the inaugural award. Olivia and Saturday's event, which benefited scholarships and the leadership-mentorship program of the Women's Council, was featured in today's Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Also, check out a recent interview she did with CBS Sports.

Rebel Visits Swayze Field

Rebel made his Oxford debut Saturday, visiting with children at a Rebel Kid's Club event in the O-U Stadium left field pavilion before escorting the little Rebels onto the field. Check out some pics from yesterday by Joey Brent

Life In The NFL: Green-Ellis Floats Like Butterfly

"Life in the NFL," an awards ceremony and panel discussion on the NFL, is just a few hours away, set for today at 11 a.m. on the Grove Stage. Of the seven stars participating, perhaps the player I am most excited to see is BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

A couple of weeks ago, I had an SEC reporter ask, "Dexter McCluster is your only 1,000-yard rusher since 2006, right?" Actually, we had a guy do it twice since then. Such is the life of BenJarvus, the Rodney Dangerfield of running backs. Despite his teams finding few wins, he was All-Big Ten for the Indiana Hoosiers and first team All-SEC at Ole Miss, where he was the first Rebel back since 1949 to rush for 1,000 in two seasons.

After all that, Green-Ellis still got passed over in the draft and arrived in New England as an unrestricted free agent. Three years later, "The Law Firm" is a 1,000-yard rusher on one of the league's best teams, becoming the first Patriots back to reach that mark since 2004. Green-Ellis' 13 rushing touchdowns last year tied for the second-most in the NFL.

Ben's passion to prove himself has driven him to the gym of the champ, Muhammad Ali. Check out an awesome article on Green-Ellis' new boxing regimen from former Clarion-Ledger now Boston Herald reporter Ian Rapoport.

Rebel Makes His Debut

As I tweeted earlier today, a lot of smiling young faces welcomed Rebel to the world today. Our new mascot visited with more than 50 kids this morning at the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital in Jackson. Take a look at the exciting trip, courtesy of the good folks with the University Medical Center.